Though they might not be the most adorable or charismatic of Yellowstone National Park's creatures, bats are residents of the park. And by "adopting" one from the Yellowstone Park Foundation, you can help forward wildlife research in the park.
According to the foundation, Yellowstone is home to ten species of bats that are integral to the park’s ecosystem as both predators and prey. Unfortunately, they are in danger from White-Nose Syndrome, a disease that has decimated bat populations in the eastern U.S. and is moving westward.
The foundation is funding a two-year monitoring program for the early detection of White-Nose Syndrome in Yellowstone bats. To help raise awareness about the importance of Yellowstone bats, and to support the wildlife conservation work of the foundation, it is offering a time-limited opportunity to adopt a Yellowstone bat, even if in name only. This is a limited edition, as the foundation has only 100 bats available for adoption.
With each symbolic adoption, you will help the foundation support critical wildlife conservation and research programs. You will be contributing to a bright future for not only bats but also wolves, bears, trumpeter swans, and other native species in Yellowstone.
In return for your $50 adoption fee, you'll receive a 12-inch plush bat (with a 24-inch wingspan!), an educational fact sheet with color photographs and fun facts about bats, and, of course, an “Adoption Certificate” personalized with your honoree’s name.
To land one of the bats, head over to this page.
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Comments
Why don't they allow us to sponsor a bat for $10 and offer hundreds? And skip the cutsey (expensive) marketing ploy and trust us to do it out of the goodness of our hearts rather than the opportinity to own a toy? Classic YPF--catering to the rich. There's a few of us poor folk that give a damn, too.
I'm sure the YPF would be happy to receive your $10.00 donation, ask that they earmark it for the bat project & I bet they'd do that, too. Unfortunately, not everyone is as altruistic as you are and want to 'get something' for their donation & it seems that the more someone can afford to donate, the more they want some 'bang for their buck'. I don't have a need for a stuffed bat, either.
What is the bat population of Yellowstone? Is it only 100? Are these hibernating bats of the species susceptible to WNS? It would be helpful to have more baseline information.
Peter, actually Yellowstone has quite a few bats...definitely more than 100, but how many more is tough to say. Here's a story I wrote a few years back after encountering swarms of bats on Shoshone Lake.
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There are thought to be nine species of bats in the park, though when I wrote that story only five had been confirmed.